Before coming here, Han Yu had warned him not to talk nonsense, but he didn't expect His Majesty to ask.
Looking at Zhu Youxiao's expressionless face and deep gaze, Zhang Yu's heart was moved. Then he bowed and said, "I believe that reading the books of sages is to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country."
After hearing this, Feng Congwu's expression changed.
In Feng Congwu's opinion, this answer was too vulgar, inconsistent with the ideals of a scholar, and most importantly, too flattering to His Majesty.
But when Feng Congwu thought about Zhang Yu's character, he was not surprised. He was just that kind of person.
Zhu Youxiao smiled softly after hearing Zhang Yu's words. This Zhang Yu really had no bottom line.
However, Zhu Youxiao did not comment on Zhang Yu's statement, because his answer was meaningless.
In the eyes of today's scholars, they study in order to cultivate themselves, manage their families, govern the country, and bring peace to the world, at least that's what they say.
To put it bluntly, the purpose of studying is to gain knowledge, not to serve the emperor. What is the purpose of serving as a minister? To serve the emperor like Yao and Shun.
To put it bluntly, it means making the emperor as wise as Yao and Shun.
This part about the kings Yao and Shun is very interesting. It means giving in, and the emphasis here is on themselves.
Who made the emperor as wise as Yao and Shun?
They were the ministers, not the ones who blindly obeyed the emperor. If they had blindly obeyed the emperor, they would have become treacherous ministers, the same kind of people as the Jinyiwei and Donglin Party that they criticized.
Therefore, even if someone proposed this idea, it would not be implemented in this era. Instead, it would be criticized by public opinion and regarded by more people as a form of flattery to the emperor.
It seemed like he was flattering himself, but Zhu Youxiao felt that the flattery was not targeted, which might be the limitation of this era.
If you ask this question to the eunuchs and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Zhu Youxiao will get the same answer.
He glanced at Feng Congwu and Zhang Yu, smiled, and said, "I do have an idea. I think Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation, family harmony, governance, and peace in the world. I won't talk about self-cultivation and family harmony, but mainly about scholars and themselves."
"I know there's also the "investigation of things to gain knowledge" and "sincerity and uprightness of mind" mentioned earlier, but that's not what I want to discuss. I want to talk about the latter: why do scholars study? Why do military commanders practice martial arts?"
"Just now, Zhang Yu, you said it was out of loyalty to the emperor and the country. I feel that you lack some generosity and seem a bit petty. On the contrary, I believe that scholars study, generals practice martial arts, farmers farm and weave, and merchants run businesses. They all have a single purpose, and that is to ensure the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, so that the Ming Dynasty can rise in the world and shock the world."
"So I believe that scholars should study for the rise of the Ming Dynasty. Only after knowing why they study will they know what to do next. What do you think?"
As he spoke, Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Zhang Yu and the others with a smile on his face.
Although Zhu Youxiao's tone was light, his words were full of unquestionableness.
Zhang Yu instantly understood. Your Majesty was trying to get them to accept this idea and use it as the main theme of their school's propaganda. Forget about anything else; this was the first priority.
Compared to the slogan of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, studying for the rise of the Ming Dynasty is indeed more magnificent.
The most crucial point is that this concept is more easily accepted by readers.
Because Daming encompasses so much. Jun is just one person, but Daming encompasses so much more.
Saying that one studies for the rise of the Ming Dynasty sounds more noble than saying that one studies for the purpose of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country.
This is what Your Majesty hopes scholars can do, and this is also what you hope people like us can teach them.
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